


Secrets And Lies

by Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer



Series: And They Were Roommates [4]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Issues, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Gil Arroyo Acting as Malcolm Bright's Parental Figure, Good Parent Gil Arroyo, Good Parent Martin Whitly, Lies, Malcolm Bright Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Parent Gil Arroyo, Parental Gil Arroyo, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Gil Arroyo, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:14:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29323782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer/pseuds/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer
Summary: Martin sighed, raised a hand in a dramatic gesture of defeat, and stared at the television for a moment longer before turning his curious blue eyes back to Malcolm as the profiler hit call.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & Martin Whitly
Series: And They Were Roommates [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2147352
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	Secrets And Lies

"That should do it…" Malcolm stared up at the tarp covering his window, just a little bit of insurance to make sure that nobody could see inside. That sticky feeling of wrongness that had brewed in his stomach all week long was working double time trying to make him throw up now.

Behind him, Martin was relaxing on the couch, legs propped up, eyes glued to the giant TV. Malcolm took a deep breath as he turned back to his father, staring at him for a moment before redirecting a wary gaze to the screen. Of course Martin had put the news on. A reporter - not Ainsley, he was briefly surprised to see (but then figured Jessica would probably go out of her way to lock Ainsley inside the mansion, especially now) - was standing just outside of Claremont, police lights flashing all around them, a picture of Martin in the top left-hand corner of the screen as they urged everyone to " _please be careful, and if you see this man, call 911."_

Malcolm huffed out a quiet sigh and retreated to the kitchen, picking his phone up.

Turning it back on, he was unsurprised to see about twenty missed calls from Gil alone, and several texts from Jessica practically begging him to come up to the mansion. He shot her a quick text back to let her know she was okay, and to ask if she and Ainsley were okay, if they were safe inside and if they needed anything, then turned and headed back to the living room as he brought his contacts list up and prepared to call Gil. "I'm calling Gil, so stay quiet," he warned, reaching over the back of the couch to snatch the remote up and turn the volume down.

Martin sighed, raised a hand in a dramatic gesture of defeat, and stared at the television for a moment longer before turning his curious blue eyes back to Malcolm as the profiler hit call.

"What the hell, kid?" Gil demanded immediately. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Malcolm assured at once, snapping his gaze up to the ceiling, uncomfortable with how intently Martin was watching him now. The steadiness of his own words surprised him, but he knew those were probably the last two words Gil wanted to hear right then. "Look, I'm really okay. I mean, I'm not _okay_ , but I'm… okay. I'm keeping an eye on the news and everything…" He trailed off, letting his gaze stray back to the TV, and stared for a moment before going on, "and I just texted my mother to tell her I was okay, and see if she was okay. I'm sorry I left so quickly, and…" He winced a little, biting the inside of his cheek, "I'm sorry I hung up on you. I'm-"

"I know- I know," Gil interrupted with a sigh, understanding as ever, and Malcolm squeezed his eyes shut for a second, fighting against the guilt churning in his gut. Martin's gaze didn't move from him; he could practically feel his eyes burning holes in his head. "I know. I can imagine how tough this is for you. But I really don't like the idea of you being at home all by yourself. If you want, you can come bunk with me for a while. Bring Sunshine. It'll be a lot safer here than…"

Malcolm sucked in a shuddery breath and blinked his eyes open, throat restricting as he swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat and shook his head, as if Gil could see. "No. I'll be fine here, Gil. I can handle myself if… if he does find me, and uh-" He flicked his gaze toward Martin, flexing his jaw for a second as he struggled to think of what to say. "Y'know. I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Gil replied softly. "You haven't been _fine_ for a while now."

"Well, I'll be finer once we find him." Malcolm shifted a little on his feet. "Do you need me back-"

"No," Gil's voice sharpened. Malcolm released another strained, quiet sigh, unsurprised - actually, he'd been counting on that. Lying about this was hard enough over the phone, and the thought of leaving Martin alone in his apartment (with his weapons, with his things, with his bird) was terrifying in itself. He'd much rather be here where he can at least keep an eye on him. Hopefully Martin was smart enough not to try anything though - hell, of course he was smart enough. He was the smartest man Malcolm knew. "No, you stay where you are. Stay _safe_. I already sent JT home, but I've got Dani and Edrisa here helping out. Everyone's doing what they can." Gil sighed. "As much as I'd like to keep an eye on you, shutting yourself in is…"

"The safer option," Malcolm finished in a mumble, ducking his head. He looked around for a moment, then looked back at Martin, twisting his mouth sharply as he locked his eyes with his father's and took another breath. "Well, we'll be here. Uh- me and Sunshine, I mean. Call if you get any leads, okay? And let me know if you need me to come down there. I'll be happy to."

"I know you would," Gil muttered. "Just stay safe. You call if you need anything."

"I will." (He won't.)

With shaking fingers, he hung up, checked a text from Jessica saying they were fine and once again asking him to come down to the mansion, and once again shut his phone off completely.

"Are you alright?" Were the first words out of his father's mouth when Malcolm handed him the remote back. He took it, held it, but he didn't use it yet, simply stared at Malcolm. The profiler stared back at him for a moment, not knowing what to think about the sincerity in his gaze, the genuine worry reflected there, then clenched his teeth, swallowed, and looked away again.

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

"Except you're not," Martin replied plainly, "and 'I'm fine' is what you say when you're lying."

Malcolm just sighed, shaking his head, and pushed himself away from the couch.

"I'm sorry you have to lie to them, Malcolm," Martin said quietly as he turned to walk away. "I'm sorry you have to keep this secret."

Malcolm hesitated, clenching his fist tight and digging his nails into his palm. He spun his phone in his other hand, somewhat absently, then bit his lip and blew out a soft, strained sigh.

"Don't be," he murmured. "It's my choice."


End file.
